Page 40 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL4

 Galapagos green sea turtles mating, with the male on top.giant tortoise as a vulnerable species. Besides the giant tortoises that live on land, I also found Galapagos green sea turtles, which spend most of their lives in shallow lagoons and waters around the islands. Mating normally takes place in November and December; however, I was fortunate to witness a mating of Galapagos green sea turtles during my June visit. While on a dingy heading for a beach on Santiago, I saw a mating couple bobbing in the water, with the smaller male clinging to the larger female as shown in the photo. Due to the population decline caused by illegal hunting for their carapace and egg harvesting, the Galapagos green sea turtle is classified by the IUCN as anendangered species.The lizards of the Galapagos arequite colourful and diverse, featuring the land and marine iguanas that attractvisiting professional and amateur photographers.There are four subspecies of Galapagos land iguana: common land iguana, Santa Fe land iguana, pink iguana and hybrid iguana. However, I saw only the first two subspecies, while the other two are rare and difficult to spot.The common land iguana is the most widespread of the land iguanas, numbering between 5,000 and 10,000. It has an average body length of 1m, weighs around 13kg, and is yellow-orange in colour. Land iguanas feed mainly on pads and fruits from the Opuntia cactus, as well as other plants and insects.Another subspecies, aptly called the Santa Fe land iguana, is found only on Santa Fe and is similar to the common land iguana, but the males tend to be a more dullish yellow,38 Elite+